In a bearing, one or more seals are typically used to maintain lubricant, such as grease, inside the bearing and to prevent the entry of contaminating particles. Typically, such seals are fixed on one of the bearing rings and cooperate with the other ring so as to form a dynamic sealing.
The patent application WO-A1-2010/133240 (SKF) discloses a rolling bearing providing two seals fixed to the outer ring and each providing an inner lip in frictional contact with the inner ring. The bearing further provides two sealing flanges fixed to the inner ring and against which an outer lip of the associated seal is sliding.
The use of such a flange axially on each side of the bearing and cooperating with the outer lip of the associated seal permit to limit the passage on contaminating particles to the inner lip of the seal in frictional contact with the inner ring. However, the contact pressure exerted by the elastomeric outer lip on the flange tends to decrease over time, and in case of relative angular tilting of the bearing rings. This may affect the sealing properties of the bearing in operation. Moreover, this solution requires the use of specific seals providing each an outer lip.
The present invention aims to overcome this disadvantage.